


Drawing Memories

by dasakuryo



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Comfort/Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 17:18:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14698797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dasakuryo/pseuds/dasakuryo
Summary: They are stranded on a jungle, with no way of contacting their contact or the Alliance any time soon. Yet it's not that uncertainty what worries Jyn, but rather how Cassian is beating himself up about a flickering moment he lightened up and let his walls down."It's a silly thing to do— I was supposed to be keeping watch. What if-"Jyn's heart aches at Cassian words. She wants to convince him of the contrary, but she doesn't know how to.





	Drawing Memories

“Put another log on the fire, the rain brought a chill,” managed Jyn over the clattering of her teeth.

She rubbed her hands together as the door slid shut behind her, the swoosh almost drone out the drumming of the rain. She'd no luck getting in touch with her contact, and it looked like they would be stranded there for a while. Biting the rim of her tongue as she slid off her gloves, Jyn reached to the conclusion jammed communications were not the reason why they couldn't get through.

The storm rumbled outside, the windows shook at the thunder's tempo. A flash of blinding light tore through the semi-darkness for a moment. She thrust the comm into the pocket of her vest with a frustrated sigh. A wan smile played about her lips when she caught sight of Cassian, his tall frame silhouetted against the pale light from the window.

He hadn't heard her, by the looks of it. The smile spread across Jyn's face as she settled for sauntering towards him, the fire wouldn't go anywhere, she could always add that new log to the flames later. The small living room was dimly lit by the wavering orange glow pooling from the fireplace, a patch of cold greyish light from the storm gleamed through the fogged glass.

Jyn's every muscle was still stiff, and her face and hands still tingled, numb from the cold, but at the faint crackling, the tawny light and the sight of him a soft warmth poured through her chest, slowly thawing her out as she approached. Delight tugged at her lips as she sidled up to him, she bit her lips to keep herself from giggling, already anticipating the light, almost imperceptible start that would overcome him when she slid her arms around his waist and pressed a kiss to his back.

Her smile wavered, though, as soon as she caught the slight slouch of his shoulders. Maybe she hadn't been as stealthy as she'd thought. To her surprise, he did startle when she slid her arms around his waist. She stood on her toes, and muffled her laugh pressing her lips to the cool fabric of his parka, right between his shoulder blades. Instead of relaxing and leaning into her like he always did, Jyn felt Cassian tense underneath her grasp.

With a swish of cloth, she slid away from the hug and peered over his arm. The creases on her brow did nothing but deepen as her gaze met Cassian's rounded eyes and slightly-opened mouth, especially after he tore his gaze away from her and made a strangled noise.

"Cassian... what—"

The answer came to her when she looked out the window... or rather _at_ it. The glass wasn't as steamed as she'd have expected it to be, out of the corner of her eye she saw Cassian biting down hard on his lower lip, felt him twitching in her embrace. There was no blurriness in certain parts, areas that didn't quite match the condensation giving way.

Confusion faded into tenderness.

"Cassian," she crooned. "Really?"

He harrumphed and covered his face. Jyn heard the rumble of what sounded too close to a choked back groan. Instead of laughing, she prickled him in the arm and hooked her chin on his forearm, clasping her arms tighter as she did so.

Her face scrunched up when she looked at the window again. Cassian didn't seem to be peering through his fingers. She held back a laugh and hummed.

"What is it, exactly?"

Cassian seemed to stifle a groan again.

"Nothing," she barely heard the whisper. "I was just—" he sighed, uncovering his face, "I was just doodling," he stammered so fast the words almost blotted each other out.

Jyn pressed a kiss to his arm and looked at the window again.

"Well, I think that one," she pointed at one drawing on the left side of the glass, "looks like a Tooka."

"It was supposed to be a gurrcat," Cassian mumbled.

That time, Jyn couldn't hold back the laughter. She reached out, ignoring Cassian's mortified look, and with swift brushes of her fingers widened and enlarged the ears of the cat-like creature silhouetted in the foggy glass. She twitched her lips into a frown and leant forward again, making the animal's frame rounder.

"There, now it's a Tooka."

"Don't do that—" Cassian let out in a weary sigh, but still did not break off the hug.

"Do what?" Jyn asked, her voice taking a teasing tone before she smiled against the blue parka.

"You know—"

"No, I don't," she fought back.

Cassian murmured something she couldn't quite catch before faltering over the words, "act like you don't want to burst out laughing."

"And why would I?" he shifted in her arms, a lone tap of his boot on the duracrete.

"Because it's silly," he hushed. "It's a silly thing to do— I was supposed to be keeping watch. What if-"

Jyn bit her tongue to stay silent, she doubted any Stormtroopers ventured this deep in the jungle, especially when it was pouring down like that —she was pretty sure most routes had been turned into streams and most paths were nothing but treacherous traps of mud. Stars, given how heavy it was raining, she even feared the rain might reach the safe house and seep under the door.

Her heart sank when she heard what Cassian muttered next.

 _"It's something_ kids _do."_

And not rebels who have sworn to bring down the Empire, of course, Jyn reasoned as a heavy gloom fluttered behind her ribs. She hoped her voice didn't sound strained, given the sudden smothering grip on her throat. She'd to say it, by the looks of it Cassian needed to hear it.

"It's not like you got to be a kid."

It ended up coming out too harsh. Like a punch. He tensed. Her fingers came to life and meandered up and down his arm, the parka swished and swished.

"They didn't let us," the bitterness of her voice burned her throat.

And at that, the tension slowly, very slowly, ebbed away from him. He leant on her and she hugged him tighter. The silence fell over the small room, it lengthened, only broken by the faint rustle of their breathing and the constant drumming of the downpour.

A quiet sigh, and the warmth of Cassian's palm nestled her hand. He slid his fingers and gave hers a little squeeze. The caress built a hum in her throat, she topped it with another kiss to his arm.

"What was Tinta?"

Jyn couldn't help but smile.

"A snow lizard."

His hand glided away from hers. The pad of his index finger swept off the mist on the glass before them. Jyn untangled from the hug and, her arm to his, leant forward. Her index finger met his on the cold window. She didn't miss the way he bit down a smile before changing to his left hand for the task and wrapped his right arm around her waist, hand resting casually on her hip.

The fire kept crackling, the thunders rumbling, the rain drumming. And a snow lizard joined the tooka.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to give them a bit of the innocence the Empire robbed them of, a moment of tenderness amidst the war. Hope you've enjoyed the story! Thanks a lot for reading, feedback is always appreciated :)


End file.
